Cromartie posted a video on Instagram that he says shows him running a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the end of a workout, and with that video he posted a message scoffing at anyone who thinks he’s slowing down.

“And ppl say I’ve lost a step. Only thing I can do laugh at you all. Ran 4.34 & 4.36 in the 40 today after a workout and I’m only getting faster,” Cromartie wrote.

Expecting Cromartie or any other athlete to get faster after turning 30 is unrealistic. The Cardinals don’t need Cromartie to be a Top 2 cornerback in the NFL like he thinks he is, they just have to hope Cromartie has enough left that he’s a strong No. 2 cornerback to go along with Patrick Peterson.

Have to have more than speed. People faster than this can’t even make it in the NFL. Got to have the smarts, be physical, competitive. Speed alone is not impressive. That this level, it has to be a given. Not saying this guy doesn’t. #justkeepingitreal

ketch20too says:Jun 28, 2014 1:04 PM

Great speed with suspect cover skills isn’t nearly enough to make him the #2 DB in the league.

4.34, you say? Maybe. But there isn’t a DB in the league who gets away with holding more than this guy. Play in and play out, the guy is just a master of how to old onto a WR.
Good that he says he is fast though.

Spymaster Belichick says:Jun 28, 2014 1:11 PM

I can stop a stopwatch early too. Didn’t he run a 4.47 at the combine?

Good DBs need to have a short memory and a healthy ego. Check and check.
Patrick Peterson, Antonio and Tyrann Matthieu together in Phoenix should be very entertaining. There will be a race to make interceptions.

Antonio is good but has weaknesses as a CB1, but in AZ with Peterson in that spot he may make the best CB2 in the league. Add Honey Badger and #1 draft pick Buchannon at safety and the Cards secondary is looking fantastic on paper.

Guess Marquise Goodwin must have been running a 3.50 when he blew by him and scorched him by 5 yards for a TD last season.

This guy has more insecurities than child support payments.

ty46 says:Jun 28, 2014 1:49 PM

He ran it on track, that equals 4.5+ on football surface.

granadafan says:Jun 28, 2014 1:55 PM

If you can’t make route changes and maintain quickness and recovery speed, then your straightline speed in shorts is useless. Football is about making cuts, not running straight. The 40 time is the most overrated evaluation of players and their ability to actually play.

Mel Kiper would have scoffed at Jerry Rice’s poor 40 time and dropped him down the big board to 3rd round with delusional fans (Seattle) mocking the Niners for taking Rice in the 1st round. “But but but, they Niners could have gotten Rice in the 3rd round because that’s what I read!”.

maddenisfordorks says:Jun 28, 2014 1:57 PM

He should move to Utah. His level of reasoning and his amount of children will fit in perfectly.

How can MDS have the balls to tell us what the Cards need from Cromartie? The Cards would love it if Cromartie can come anywhere near where he was at his peak. But there is a downside to that if it happens. If Cromartie still has his speed AND his reaction times, then the other teams will unleash their passing attacks on Peterson as well as the safeties and linebackers. This means Peterson will get beat for big gains everyweek since he has lost his burst of speed that allowed him to bait QBs and run out of tackles returning punts his rookie year. Since then, his burst of speed has been absent and he has been exposed except against the lower tier QBs like Glennon whom he had a monster game against because Glennon kept gambling with his passes.

Make no mistake, if Cromartie is back from injuries and plays near where he was, Peterson is going to get burned every week and exposed that he is slowing down and makes lots of mistakes in coverages.

Former speed burner receiver Raymond Berry of the Baltimore Colts had something to say about his own aging and the realization that he was done.

The time he retired he was actually planning on playing. He felt just as fast as he ever was and thought he was running his routes well. It wasn’t until he saw himself on tape and got to see just how he looked that he actually saw that he wasn’t the same. He essentially said he looked terrible running his routes and since that is something he took pride in he knew it was time to retire.

Speed is nice to have, but how well do you accelerate and how agile are you?

Darrell Green of the Washington Redskins kept his speed throughout his 40’s and played a LONG time as a corner. He held the title of fastest man in the NFL into his late 30’s.

No they laugh at you cuz your a washed up never has been and never will be.

teambolt5000 says:Jun 28, 2014 3:15 PM

Can’t wait for the season to start. SD @ AZ will be a good test for both teams.
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Chargers will play ball control, time of possession football. Not saying the Cards DBs aren’t good, I just don’t think they are a match for Rivers and Chargers receivers. SD will have too many weapons for Rivers to throw the ball to, and say what you want about him, Rivers is very good with the short pass game. Look for a lot of double TE sets with Gates and Green, both RBs, Woodhead and Matthews can catch out of the backfield, along with WRs Keenan Allen, Floyd and Brown, and it appears the Chargers should win that battle. Basically, Rivers will have 5-6 players on the field who can catch the ball on just about every play. Should be interesting.
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If you are a Cards fan I am looking to see what you think. Good luck this year.

corvetteman6
Jun 28, 2014, 1:09 PM EDT
4.34, you say? Maybe. But there isn’t a DB in the league who gets away with holding more than this guy. Play in and play out, the guy is just a master of how to old onto a WR.”

Nevermind the fact that it’s on a track with track spikes. Ask any track athlete and they’ll agree your time drops dramatically on a track surface

bbbmf says:Jun 28, 2014 8:06 PM

To the uninformed comments about Cromartie’s children [responsibilites and relationships] from an interview with Jonathan Schwartz, a CPA with the Los Angeles-based financial services company GSO Business Management IRT Cro’s money and interests:

The arrangement includes monthly child support payments for each of Cromartie’s children, all of whom will be provided for through college. Cromartie remains active in the lives of all his children and he sees them regularly.

Additionally:

Cromartie’s retirement is funded through age 100, and his money will be multi-generational.

Mel Kiper would have scoffed at Jerry Rice’s poor 40 time and dropped him down the big board to 3rd round with delusional fans (Seattle) mocking the Niners for taking Rice in the 1st round. “But but but, they Niners could have gotten Rice in the 3rd round because that’s what I read!”.

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WRONG. I remember the 1985 NFL draft. Rice was rated as a consensus first-round draft pick, along with Al Toon and Eddie Brown, by ALL the draft experts that year.